June 17, 2021 at 6:30 PM - Budget Amendment Hearing immediately followed by Regular Board Meeting

Description:  Call to Order. Secretary to the Board will take attendance.

Description:  As presented at the April 15, 2021 Board Meeting.
ISBE requires an amendment if we spend over 10% in any fund.
Major changes:

• Food Service: Reduced revenue by $564K to actual anticipated. Expenses: reduced by $224K for less food costs. Net change: -340K. This is due to not providing as many meals and therefore not receiving reimbursement for these meals.
• Grants: Revenue increased by $595K. Expense increased by $634K. Net change: -$39K. Grants are every changing throughout the year. The -$39K is for expenditures from last fiscal year to finish out the FY20 grants.
• Health Life Safety (HLS): Added $18K to spend the remaining in this fund. In the future this fund will no longer be levied.

RCS still has healthy fund balances moving forward. Budget hearing will be held June 17th at the start of the regular board meeting.
 

Description:  During the public forum, comments from the public should be limited to only the Budget Amendment. 

The Board may address public forum comments and discuss the Budget Amendment during that action item during the regular meeting of the board.

Description:  Call to Order. Secretary to the Board will take attendance.

Description:  Item #13 should be changed from 2021-22 Budget Amendment to read 2020-2021 Budget Amendment.

Description: 

Members of the public may speak during this portion of the meeting. Comments are limited to five minutes. Board members will not respond to public comments at this time.
 

Description:  All items under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine in nature and will be enacted by a single motion and subsequent roll call vote.  There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Board member so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as the first item after approval of the Consent Agenda.

Description: 

• Regular personnel items.
• Addendum to the contract for Allison Didier to account for an increase in per diem as approved at the May 2021 BOE Meeting. This is due to being on a multi-year contract.
• Contract of Lori Bednarz, PreK Director. To account for an increase in days worked from 200 to 210. Extension of contract is one-year, end of the 2022-2023 school year. Inclusion of measurable goals as required by the school code. This is due to being on a multi-year contract.

Description:  Annually, a joint committee of administration and teachers meets to revise the teachers' evaluation plan. There were no significant changes this year. Specific evaluation rubrics for Librarian and PreK teachers were added. The meeting was held on May 19.

Description:  Payroll Clerk. Updated the job description for Finance and Technology Administrative Assistant to include significant responsibilities for overseeing payroll. The position is now retitled Payroll Clerk. This position is held by Christy Deer. The job description is attached and shows the changes/additions.

Director of Finance. Revised from the Finance Manager. This position is held by Marcellos Gray.

Technology Support Technician. Revised qualifications. Vacant.

Description:  For at least ten years, the Board has been using a safe deposit box to store closed session meeting recordings. In order to access this lockbox, at least two board members must go to the bank at the same time. This method for storing the recordings is effective, but also excessive and cumbersome. It is recommended that the board discontinue using a safe deposit box and instead purchase a safe/lockbox to be stored at the district office. Only the Board President and Board Secretary would have access to this safe (key and/or combination). Having the lockbox on site would allow the Board Secretary to immediately, securely store the recordings and eliminate the cost of a safe deposit box.

Description:  Each school is required to complete annual safety drills. Drills are documented and submitted to the Regional Office of Education. The required Annual Crisis Team Meeting with Rantoul Police Department was held on May 25, 2021.

Description: 
Donations made in lieu of retirement gifts.
-Maria McCarthy-St. Jude's Children's Hospital
-Donna Miner-St. Jude's Children's Hospital
-Jean Lappin- American Cancer Society
-Cheri Morin- Dementia Society of America
-Wendy Starwalt-Pleasant Acres 

Donation made in memory of Ben Cheek for Kalel and Ameea Pettit, $200. For classroom materials at Northview.

Description:  At this time, the District will comply with the State Superintendent's anticipated mandate to return to in-person learning. There is an attached Q&A document to clarify the anticipated mandate.

At this time, the District anticipates all students being back in-person for full school days.

These are the anticipated guidelines for remote learning for next year. Meaning, only students who meet BOTH criteria will be eligible for remote learning.

• ineligible for a COVID-19 vaccine; and
• quarantining under current guidance from IDPH or the appropriate local public health department.

What this means is any student 12 or older will not receive remote learning, and the district will only provide remote learning to students younger than 12 who are actively quarantined by CUPHD. There is no longer an exception for a household member's medical situation.

The District should not have any full-time remote learning students next year under the anticipated guidelines. It is possible that we will see an increase in students who request "homebound" services, but those services are significantly lower than what we experienced during remote learning.

Under remote learning, the expectation is that the District will provide five hours daily of instruction, not necessarily synchronous. This means that if a student who is younger than 12 is placed in quarantine, the District would be responsible for providing five hours of daily instruction for the duration of the quarantine. We are working with RCSEA to determine what this means for our teachers.

Homebound learning is always an option for a student. The District is not required to honor all homebound learning requests. When a student is homebound, the District is required to provide five hours of support weekly. This District does not provide instruction. Typically, the staff member providing homebound collects materials from teachers and works as a school-home liaison.

In your consent agenda is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RCS Education Association (RCSEA) that outlines some of the direct instructional supports we are putting in place for next year and how certified staff may be compensated.

We anticipate that surveillance testing will be available to all students and staff at no charge during the fall and that students and staff who are vaccinated and/or participate in surveillance testing will not be subject to six feet social distancing (for the purpose of identifying close contact) and will be subject to three feet only. This should minimize the number of students and staff who are excluded from school as a result of being identified as close contacts. 

Description:  Kurtz Counseling has partnered with RCS Social Workers for the last two years to provide Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) supervision and consultation. Currently, all RCS social workers are Masters of Social Work (MSW).  Completion of LCSW supervision hours is a multi-year commitment and can only be provided by a supervising LCSW. Upon completion of these hours, an MSW can sit for a certification test allowing them to become Licensed Clinical Social Workers. Ideally, this process leads to improved therapeutic/counseling practices with RCS students as well as allows our SW to bill at higher rates through Medicaid (increased revenue for the district annually). This year's contract allows for up to 2.5 hours of direct supervision/consultation weekly and up to 12 hours annually of professional development. This is offered to all RCS Social Workers (8 total) and as of now, 7 are committed (1 retiring). Minimum cost through the contract is $13,500 and maximum is $17,250.  This is a continuation of a previous contract with minor modifications. This cost is budgeted and paid with IDEA Federal Grant funds.

Description: 

Update the following information:

• Activity:  Scott Woods, Marcellos Gray, Yasmin Flores, Jennifer Frerichs

• Imprest:  Scott Woods, Marcellos Gray, Jennifer Frerichs, Andy Graham and John Brotheron

• Claims Clearing:  Andy Graham, John Brotherton, Scott Woods, Marcellos Gray, Jennifer Frerichs

Description: 

Our Mission
Rantoul City Schools exists to build a stronger community by educating our students.
Guiding Principles
To fulfill our mission, RCS will:

• Collaborate with the community, families, and other stakeholders.

• Encourage students who are critical thinkers, leaders, and global navigators, grounded in equity and cultural understanding,

• Provide a school environment where all learners feel free to embrace challenges and practice resilience,

• Ensure students’ individual needs are met,

• Combat social and racial inequities, and

• Expect excellence from all learners and stakeholders both in the classroom and throughout our school community.
   

Description: 

Statement of Support
A school system that does not take steps to adequately address existing inequities, may continue to contribute to the negative outcomes experienced by some students. Unfortunately, at this time in Rantoul City Schools (RCS), like many other school districts in our country, we can statistically predict the academic and behavioral outcomes of our students based on demographic indicators.
As the Board of Education, we affirm and support the right of all of our students to thrive academically, physically, socially, and emotionally. RCS strives to be a leading school district that closes the equity gap by providing an equitable, engaging, and collaborative community of learning that prepares students for success at the high school level. To meet the needs of all of our students, we must:

• Have High Academic Expectations. We will provide learning experiences where every student is challenged, engaged, and develops a greater ownership in their learning through increasingly complex levels of understanding.

• Break Down Barriers. We will seek out and eliminate educational barriers that limit or restrict students’ access to meaningful and challenging learning opportunities.

• Advocate for Students. We will advocate for equity and access for all students and help students achieve their aspirations through creating strong relationships and providing appropriate guidance.

• Promote Multicultural Understanding. We will promote cultural understanding and competence for all students and staff.

• Embrace Restoration. We will respect every person, build relationships, take responsibility for our choices and actions, and repair situations quickly and honestly.

The Board of Education of RCS is committed to formally addressing issues of social equity for the benefit of all of our students and our community. We must immediately begin to address inequities in our District. As such, we adopt the above statement of support and will use it to guide our actions moving forward.

Description:  Attached is Board Policy 2:150 which governs committees of the Board.

According to this policy, there are three standing committees of the Board: Board Policy Committee, Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee, and Behavioral Interventions Committee. The Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee and Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee must meet annually. Committees of the Board must comply with the Open Meetings Act regardless of the number of Board members who participate.

During this discussion item, it is recommended that the Board President appoint two Board Members to the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee and two to the Behavioral Interventions Committee.

Administrative Recommendation: In order to increase Board involvement, the administration is recommending that Board members be invited to participate in district committees as they occur. For example, if there is a Standards-based Grading Committee, the Board would be informed of the committees and invited to participate. For example, the superintendent may choose to convene committees such as finance, buildings and grounds/facilities, and/or personnel. These other committees are not considered Committees of the Board, and Board participation in a committee does not subject the committee to Open Meetings Act regulations unless a majority of a quorum (three members) attend and discuss District business; but these meetings are still subject to FOIA.
 

Description:  A summary of this action item is presented in the document titled "Board Letter". The Board is asked to approve the insurance contract as presented in the document titled "Renewal Worksheets". Costs are outlined in the document titled "Insurance Pricing Sheets".

Description:  The superintendent will provide general information about the District's purchasing and when competitive bidding is required. This is an informational item and an opportunity for Board discussion only.

Attached is a document outlining the bidding requirements and the process. In general, purchases over $25,000 require a bid process unless the purchase falls within an exempted category. The threshold for bidding for construction is generally $50,000.

When making purchases that do not require bidding, there is still an expectation of due diligence on the part of the administrator initiating the purchase, to insure we are going with the lowest cost. Each building is given a budget annually. The building administrators are responsible for initiating purchasing for their buildings. All spending, district-wide, is tracked by site.

Additionally, the District regularly purchases items in bulk, particularly consumable items, and these items may be stored in the District warehouse. Buildings then "purchase" these supplies through the warehouse.

Description:  Originally posted as 2021-22 Budget Amendment. Action item changed to read 2020-21 during item #6.

Description:  As a long-term cost savings measure, the Board authorized Request for Proposal (RFP) to transition lighting throughout the district to LED. Under the guidelines of Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract rules (the cost of the project is offset by the long-term energy savings cost), this project does not require a bid process. The District received three (3) RFPs for this project, and the RFP from WIER Energey Group was selected. The contract total is $213,367.29 (BDM 33,957, PA 35,560, EL 32,140, NV 30,564, JWE/CO 81,145) and will be paid for out of ESSER 3 funds. ESSER allows for expenditures that reduce the long-term costs to the district. 

The Board is asked to approve the RESOLUTION TO ENTER INTO GUARANTEED ENERGY SAVINGS CONTRACT. The resolution complies with the Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract requirements and authorizes the superintendent to execute the contract on the Board's behalf. The contract presented here is pending final review and approval by legal counsel.

Description:  May 27, 2021 from Jack Anderson regarding documents related to purchasing of school marquees. Completed June, 3, 2021.
June 14, 2021 from SmartProcure regarding PO/Vendor Information. Completed June 16, 2021.

Description:  We have entered into a formal agreement with Illinois State University related to student placements and student-teacher placements. During the past year, because we were in session four days per week, we greatly expanded the number of students placed in RCS. We are hopinig to continue this.

Description:  Beginning this month, the district will be mailing a newsletter to all households in Rantoul. As in most communities, a significant percentage of the residents of l do not currently have a student in schools.The district is making an effort to inform all residents about the school district. It is possible some households will be missed as we are basing the mailing off of information provided by USPS. Copies will be available digitally and at schools. Based on how the first mailing goes, it is anticipated we will mail something similar 3-4 times per year. The preliminary cost per mailing is at least $1,500 (estimated), including printing services. The mailing rate is 0.19 per item.

Description: 

See the message below regarding trainings from the Illinois Attorney General's office. Most of you will complete the OMA training as part of your PDLT training.

Notice to public body members and Open Meetings Act (OMA) designees who are required by section 1.05 of OMA (5 ILCS 120/1.05) to complete the Public Access Counselor's (PAC) electronic training curriculum:

The PAC web page is presently being repaired, therefore the OMA electronic training, as well as the Freedom of Information Act electronic training, are inaccessible. There is no set completion date for the website repairs at this time. Please note public body members and designees are not penalized for failure to complete the electronic training within the statutory time periods.

Please call 1-877-299-3642 if you have any questions.

Description:  The district is required to request a waiver of the administrative costs when the district exceeds a certain percent annualized increase. At the July Board meeting we will have a formal hearing related to this waiver. The district has received an extension from ISBE until the end of July. You will see this information posted after this evening's meeting and related documents will be made available.

Description:  Northview was featured on WCIA on June 16 regarding the Safe Routes to School project. https://www.wcia.com/news/northview-elementary-school-starting-safe-routes-to-school-project/?fbclid=IwAR0jKKxDBFSTqBZbVlMOYZolZmIKXPOhCQYleJ2WJx-3D0AKjrSwQAW2GNE